THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH. rv 'l'l IM KI. v TOPICS l OK THE CONSIUKK " A 1 ION OP PROGRESSIV!* PAKMEK8. Work Should be Don? During; th? ont!? of October-Valuable Sug-eatlona opa li IK1 ? Authority. {)V. L. Jona in Sjuthern Uuitioator). tn our lastj ibo Importance of cov eYitig our Heida with growing crops thrungli 11)0 winter wits discussed ut Home length, Increased acrcugo in oats, barley, and .especially ryej wdieat also grasses and clovers, was earnestly advocated. Tho moro we rclloet upon tho matter, thc greater its importance I Impresses us. lt \? not too late yet in much of thc cotton belt to start these crops, and for this reason it is again brought to notice. In tho coldest por tion of tho cotton, belt, wheat sowing Yi?'n'bfcgiv? this mouth, and rye and barley may bo seeded down well into next month. Abundant opportunity, therefore, exists to do this convcrvat ?Hg work. We are trying to improve our lands; every wide-awake farmer is diligently husbanding and gathering materials for composts; let us not neglect thc means of holding on to tho fertility alroady acquired. In machinery a ratchet-wheel is all im? lortant-its equivalent is not less so in agrlclulturo. Wc cannot afford to ose anything wc liavo gained; what? iver manurial clements thc present crop has failed to utilize must bc held tn reserve for succeeding crops. Tins ts just as necessary as thc annual ap plication of new doses of plant food. Wc aro not unmindful of the cost of iced and of seeding under thc propos ed arrangement. Lot us study every ?HIMni tor reducing it; economizing power or labor is a great desideratum lu our farming. If called upon to ii mr le ont the most important item just low in tho linc of progress, wc would unhesitatingly select economy of pow? ;r. Our ?mechanical appliances ato not equal to thc demands of thc time or of our sui roundings. Wc do not substituto horse-power in place of human muscle sufficiently, and wc fail to get the full benefit of horse power by making it work through inadequate or imperfect implements. Wc have been studying fertilizers very diligent ly during the last fifteen years; wc arc pretty well advanced in thc chemistry of tlie farm. .Let us concentrate our thoughts now for awhile on the mechanics of thc farm; let us lind out how to produce thc greatest with thc least labor. Consider what a revolu tion in our farming the general intro duction has brought about. Who would go bach to the shovel and scoot er in tlic cultivation of a crop? But * has tho sweep, or its better substitute, tho scrape, exhausted our ingenuity or sot bounds to useful contrivances? lt is, or should bc, but thc beginning of a thorough revolution in the mechanical appliances of tho farm. In the prepa ration of laud our ingenuity lins not advanced beyond thc gathering up and burning of procious vegetable matter to get it out of the way, or else with a turn-plow of burying it in one thin continuous sheet several inches below tho surface. Neither of these arc at all desirable. Implements arc needed which ?halt cul up and comminute weeds, grass, stubble, stalks or what not, andlcavo them ill condition for any form of plow desired to mingle them uniformity with thc soil. Thc screw pulverieer, the Disc harrow, etc., aro the beginnings in this direction. Such implements, if perfected and pro vided with seeding attachments, would make the putting in of grain and grass a very light joh. A man and four horescs could put in eight or ten acres a day. Contrast this with the old style of man and horse and scooter finishing up one a day. Profit is tho difference between cost of production and gross sales, and cheapness ot production is more apt to bring godd profits than large yields with heavy expense account. But meanwhile, until thc necessary imple ments arc perfected, let us do the best wc can with such as wc have. Double shovels, sweeps, cultivator-, harrows, judiciously used arc decided improve ments on singlc-shovola and scooters, and a diligent farmer can, with these, sow down a very large quant it v of land from thc first of September to thc .first of December. Of thc various anti-leachlng crops, rye and burr clover arc thc most prom Ising, and the reader is urged to take thc necessary steps now to raise an abundance ofsted of each of them tor next year's usc. Homo-raised seed comparatively little; why should a farmer pay from one to one and a half dollars per bushel tor rye, when he can raise it for fifty cents a bushel or less, just because a majority neglect to sow rye, and have to pay whatever thc few who do raise it choose to ask? ^jlf tho practice of sowing rye on our bare lands should become gencr.il, seed rye would go a begging. Hut all not needed for sowing could bo profitably fed to stock; ground rye is a most c.x cclledt horse food, and thc superfluous grain, together with thc abundant pas turage afforded by thc practice advo cated, would more than pay tho ex penses of it. Partly for thc work of conservation and partly for the value of thc crop itself to th? fainer'.- family and labor ers, tba sowing of wheat recommceris itself. Wc aro fully aware that thc cotton belt is not thc home of tho wheal plant, sud that only thc hardier varie ties of it can there bc grown with rea sonable hopo of profit. Ked, bearded varieties, like tho Mediterranean, nrc most to bc relied on, and early matur ity is a matter of prime importance. Wheat raising in the cotton belt fur nishes an instance where extremes ?rc butter than tho proverbially safe incaiiR. Bost profits como either from a few acros not fertilized at all and very lightly seeded. In view of thc desira bility of having growing crops on as largo areas as possible during winter, tho practice of sowing from a half bushel lo three pecks of seed per acre, without manure and with least expen diture of labor, is probably upon thc whole preferable to tho intensive ar v.? ugo nu. it whero ono has an abund ance of land. It was a good deal in vogue before the late war; without previous preparation of soil, tho seed was sown and plowed in. In good wheat years fair crops was harvested; in adverse seasons failures followed. ,The cost of Reed is ?mall, and if tho friowing in ls done with a wido cutting mplcmant, like an Acme or Disc har row, tito labor expense is small like wise. The highest and driest soils should bejsolected for whoat-red land bettor than gray. Mucky soils, or such as abound in organic, aro, as a mle, unsuited to this crop; limo soils best of all. In thc olden time, cotton seed and ?p^fMVWWmppOT?" -- L'oriivian gunilo woi'c rcgardtj 1 ns tho n best manures for wheat and tv boro ono s wishes to fertilize hoavily, tho sui)- j stances named furnish an excellent s clue to thc wants of the crop; both, in i tho first pince, arc highly nitrogenous 1 manures. Universal experience con- I firms tho indispensability of this sub- t stance to a wheat crop; it must have a i full supply of available nitrogen to i produce lange yiolds. But tho two | urticlcs mentioned contain in addition : to nitrogen a fair supply of phosphates and test experiments have given addi tional proof of tho value of phosphorn, acid to wheat. Five hundred pounds of acid phosphate to an acre would supply liberal (plantilles of tho sub stance most needed hy a wheat crop, and ought, under favorable conditions, to produce large yields. Both of these f?rtil Izo 1*8 may bc plowed or harrowed in with the seed. In high culture the surface soil should bo brought into thc finest tilth bolbro thc seed is sown, by repeated plowings, rollings ami bar rowings, and especially if the seed arc harrowed or brushed in, a good roll ing should follow and completo thc work. Thc "finning" of the surface so>' is done by thc roller makes the seed come un more uniformly and gives vigor lothc young plants hy pre venting to free exposure of their roots to air and dampness. Whether land for wheat should be very deeply brokon in our climate admits of doubt. AH wc all know, tho worst enemy of wheat is the red rust, anil this is more apt to attack a crop on damp than on dry land. Hence a dry May is so favorable to wheat. , lint a deeply broken soil, and especial ly one lilied with humus, dries oil much more slowly in thc spring '.han a shallow, broken one; there conics tho danger from deep breaking. Moreover, as the soil and subsoil arc usually wet in winter anti therefore sott and penetrahle by roots, there is thc same necessity of deep breaking for winter crops thal there is for those of summer. Hoots can work their was quito readily through unbroken soil in thc carly spring while it is wet and soft, and a wheat crop is general! ma tured before the ground gots so dry as to bo very hard. Perhaps thc best time to sow wheat is a week or so bclorc tho average date of a killing frost; this, of course, varies with dilTcrcnt localities. In thc northern portions of the cotton belt, it is not far from thc 25th of October: towards thc (Juli* it approximates thc middle of November. From the mid dle of October to the middle of Novem ber, or even thc fust December covers the period of wheat sowing. Tho Hessian liv and other insects are not likely ti inj uro a crop winch comes up after a killing frost. Hut for lhc.-c insect enemies, wheat might bc sown earlier with corrcsponpimr hastening in thc spring, with more likelihood of escaping rust. Thc early settlors ol Middle Georgia, we arc told, so mo biles sowed wheal, in August and made line crops, and it would bc well to try on a small scale early sowing again. On rich land such sowings might come forward too rapidly and shooting up, before hard freezes, might get killed. This might be obviated by light grazing. On poor land there is little danger in this direction; hence one should make thc earliest sowings ul'all kinds of al! kinds of grains on the poorest lands and finish up with thc richest. Oats, sown on poor land as carly as thc last of August, aro not likely to head out bclorc frost; bul if in any kimi of grain jointing threatens to begin by the 1st ot November or before, a little judicious grazing with calves or sheep in dry weather will remedy the trouble. October is usually a dry moni li and very favorable to the housing of crops. This work should now be pushed for ward with energy: everything keeps better when put away in hulk, if thc air is dry at the time it is bulked. Corn is now fully dry and ready bu llio crib; true it may remain longer ia thc field, but the longer il is loll, the greater will be the waste. Overhaul the crib before putting in thc new crop; make il. rat-proof by setting oil pillars capped with sheels of tin or Sheet-iron, Sweep out all rubbish, brush down the walls, and paint the inside top, bottom and sides with coal tar or crude carbolic acid; this will kill insects and keep them out. lu localities where the weevil is very bad, Inls painting may be removed at intervals on all uncovered portions of the interior walls. Where there is house-room it is better to put corn away in the shuck; it will keep better and thc shucking will afford employ ment for rainy days during winter. Forage of any kind cut early in thc months will bc apt to cure well. Forage corn, cut and put up at once in shocks., three to lour feet across at base, will cure well without additional handling. It soon shrinks enough to allow good ventilation throughout the shock. Tho important point is to build up the shock right; sec that each armful of stalks as they are added to it are well settled on thc ground. With a rope with loop at one end, draw the shook up as lighly as posi ble in thc middle and tie securely with a ropo of grass or stalks; put another around the shook near thc top. Thus built, it will shed rain and withstand wind for many weeks or until per fectly cured. Millo maize, sorghum, etc., may be cured in saino manlier; thc Borghuin gets limber and is more disposed to fall down. Perhaps thc better plan with it is, as soon as cool weather sets in, to bury in trenches like the ribbon cane. Wc have been feeding out horses and mules for some weeks wit sorghum (carly amber) allowed to ripen as if intended for syrup making. Tho whole plant is run through a cutter, stalk, blades and heads, and about a bushel given to each animal at a Iced-no other feed given except a half gallon of bran once a day. They relish it finch* and it ap pears to agree with then in all res pects but one-it is rather t >o laxativo -and in some animals irritates the bowels. This effect ls moro marked in some animals than others; scarcely observable in mules. They can digest coarse food better than horses, and wo are inclined to suspect that i?, is thc outer casting of tho stalk with its hard fibre that irritates the bowels. Proba bly the difficulty might bc corrected by giving only ?nc or two feeds a day of the sorghum, or by mixing it With dry feed of some kind, as is customary in feeding dry ensilage. Lumps of rock salt aro kept in Ibo mangers all , the time. This is our first trial with ? sorghum in this form; have seen it fOwn with poas and tho mixed hay of ' poavines and sorghum food to stock with good results. If sorghum can bo ! utilized in this manner successfully, it will bo a very valuablo addition to our collection of stock feed, aa it is so onaily raised. Will not other* bc kind enough to report their experience with ? it? i Late sown peas will bc ready to out < ind ?tire now. After all that has been nggOstc?l about methods of curing icu-vineFj it is doubtful it'any plan is ittporlor to tho old fashioned one of airing in rail pens. Instead of boards aid on without nailing and kepi down >y weights, (dank an inch and a quat' cr thick, of proper length, will found nore convenient and more effective as t covering. A good supply of such planks should be kept on every farm for temporary shelter purposes. A loaded wagon, a pile of hay or other stud'could be roofed In a few minutes against a threatening rain. When not in use they could be stored under theltor and would last for years. Tho next bust plan is to eut and stack the villes at once, without drying, around a .--ceoml growth pine with low branch ing limbs, tho ends of the limbs being cul oil*so as to make thc outlines of tho tree after il is trimmed cone shap* cd. The limbs prevent thc vines from settling down too closely and thc shrinkage in drying gives a plenty of ventilation. Of course brush or rails raised above thc surface, arc placed around the bottom of the tree to keep vines off the ground, lt is well also to caj> willi hay or straw, as pen-vines do not siied water very well. After thoy arc well cured, put up in barns, as such stacks will not bear long exposure to weather. Much crab-grass hay can be saved on every farm; cut when lu bloom, or a little after, the quality ls excellent. Most of that which is usually saved is cul too late, tho seeds having already formed and drawn from thc stalks and leaves their most valuablo contents. Thc seed usually drop oil, and add nothing of value lo thc hay. A train ed hand, with a good reap-hook, can cut a great deal of this grass in places where the mowing blade cannot reach it. "Swamp grasses, if cut early just in bloom, make gootl medium hay for cuttle and mules, but as in thc case of crab-grass (hey arc generally cul too late. Never lot grass, aft Ot it is partly dried, lake dew ; all that is cut beforo two or three o'clock should be put up in cocks just before night, and as fast as it cures, sovoral small oooks should be brought together and put into one large cock. Thc rule is to expose as possible to dew, rain or sun, and a large cock has less surface ill propor tion to its contents than a small one. Wc have havo often tried to cure potato vines, bul without success. A week or so, however, before the usual time for digging potatoes thc vines may be grazed oil'without appreciable injury to the crop. Most persons pre fer to dig after the vines are singed by frost, and thc work is usually dom; from thc 25th of October to the' lOtll of November. If thc ground is dry, so that there is no danger of injury from freezes, il ls well to defer thc digging as late as possible, us it is desirable that thc polatOC8 should he cool after thoy arc dug- -coolness, dryness and as lillie variation of temperature as pos sible are the conditions requisite for keeping potatoes. The temperature of Ila* interior of thc hank or hill should neuer fall below forty degrees, and if practicable not raise above sixty. lu warm weather it would bc diffloillt lo keep the tom porat uro down to sixty; therefore we say it is best to put up potatoes after the weather ha? become settled sold. Thc sinking below forty degress is to bo guarded against by a liberal covering of pine straw, corn stalks, etc , finished oil'with a layer of earth. Alter the straw ts compressed, it ought to bo six inches thick ,tud the layer ol'dirt on outside from six inches lo a fool, according to the severity of the climate. The thicker thc coaling of straw and dirt, the slower the changes of temperature in tho interior of the hank; this, therefore, is a very good means of preventing sudden variatiotion from warm to cold or the reverso. Another is to protect the hank from direct sunshine. A ther mometer heing in the shade will show less variating of temperature during the twenty-four hours of night and day than one hung in Ibo sunshine. For a like reason a shaded potato hank will have a more uniiorm temperature than one exposed to the sun during the day and to free radiation at night. Potatoes go through a sweating process soon after they are hanked; it is well, therefore, to have a ventilator through thc the centre of thc bank and an opening at thc top during' thc first three or four weeks after they arc put up. Subsequently thc opening should bo thoroughly closed, not only with straw, but with dirt likewise. Exclude air, exclude moisture, and exclude light; koop thc temperature uniform hot or cold -these arc the requisitos for preservation. Thc potato is a tropical plant; in thc tropics there arc two seasons, the wet and thc dry. In its relations to vegetation, the former takes the placeo!"our summer, and the latter of our winter. Vegetation is more or less dope udotlt during lhe dry season. Th?* sweet potato bridges it over by its tubers, which remain un changed in the dry hot soil. Thc tem perature of thc soil, though high, is uniform, and this uniformity, together with absence of moisture, keeps thc tubers dormant. A cool s